National Consultant – Service Designer and Content Manager

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: National Consultant – Service Designer and Content Manager

Company: UN Women

Location: Chisinau, Republic of Moldova

Job Type: Part-time Contract

Category: Service Design & Content Management (with a Gender Equality Focus)

Date Posted: September 15, 2026

Experience Level: Mid-Level (2-5 years with Master's, 3+ years with Bachelor's)

Remote Status: Hybrid (with regular on-site presence required)

🚀 Role Summary

• Service Design & Content Strategy: Drive the design and management of user-centered, gender-responsive "life event" content for the unified government portal (EVO) in Moldova, ensuring accessibility and inclusivity.

• Gender Equality Integration: Apply a critical gender lens to all aspects of service and content design, prioritizing life events with a demonstrable gendered burden and ensuring content serves women disproportionately affected by navigation challenges.

• Process Development & Handover: Establish and document a repeatable, user-centered, and gender-responsive practice for producing life event content, enabling the e-Governance Agency (AGE) to continue this work independently.

• Stakeholder Collaboration & Coaching: Work closely with AGE, development vendors, UX/UI designers, and relevant institutions to research, map, draft, test, and validate content, while also coaching AGE editorial staff.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is a hybrid of service design, content management, and GTM operations principles, focusing on user experience and process optimization within a government digital transformation context. The emphasis on a gender lens and serving underserved populations is a critical differentiator.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Evidence Gathering & Prioritization: Conduct research to identify and prioritize life events with a significant gendered burden, utilizing EVO analytics, call-center data, CSO consultations, and existing UN Women research.

• Content Model Specification: Define field-level content requirements for the life event content model, ensuring gender equality and women's economic empowerment considerations are embedded, and submit these to the SRPS team and development vendor.

• Exemplar Content Production: Lead the end-to-end production of at least four life events related to gender equality and women's economic empowerment, from initial research and mapping to final validated versions (v1.0).

• User Research & Usability Testing: Design and conduct usability testing sessions with diverse real users, including women from rural areas, older women, and women with disabilities, to inform content revisions.

• Methodology Documentation & Coaching: Develop an addendum to the eGov Content Guideline to embed a gendered life-event lens and create a content review checklist. Coach AGE editorial staff on the defined methodology for content production.

• Service Gap Identification: Compile and submit a service-gap register documenting broken or missing service steps to owning institutions and the eGov service-redesign backlog.

• Quality Assurance & Handover: Perform plain-language and structural quality assurance checks on published content across Romanian, English, and Russian, and conduct a handover session with AGE editorial staff to transfer the documented production method.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strong focus on process definition, user-centric design, and cross-functional collaboration, akin to GTM operations where user adoption and process efficiency are paramount. The iterative nature of content production and testing is a key operational element.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Master’s degree in Service Design, Communication, Journalism, Public Administration, Social Sciences, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field.

• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Experience:

• Minimum of 1 year of relevant professional experience with a Master’s degree, or 3 years with a Bachelor’s degree, in service design, content design, or UX writing.

• Experience is required in developing and publishing user-centered content for a general audience (e.g., service descriptions, guides, user journeys).

• Proven experience conducting user research and usability testing, including recruitment and moderation with participants who may not be confident digital users.

• Experience working with public institutions to gather information, resolve discrepancies, and navigate validation processes is an asset.

• Experience in applying plain-language or content design standards, including explaining editorial choices to stakeholders, is an asset.

• Experience applying a gender lens to service or content design or comparable equity-focused analysis is a significant asset. Required Skills:

• Service Design: Expertise in user-centered design principles, journey mapping, and service blueprinting.

• Content Management & Strategy: Ability to develop, structure, and manage content for digital platforms, ensuring clarity and accuracy.

• UX Writing & Plain Language: Proficiency in crafting clear, concise, and accessible content tailored for digital user interfaces and public service information.

• User Research & Usability Testing: Skills in designing and conducting qualitative research to understand user needs and test content effectiveness.

• Gender-Responsive Design: Demonstrated ability to integrate gender considerations and a feminist lens into service and content design processes.

• Analytical & Writing Skills: Strong drive for results and capacity to work independently, with excellent analytical and written communication abilities.

• Facilitation & Diplomacy: Ability to extract clear information from institutions and navigate inter-institutional validation processes smoothly.

• Method Discipline: Consistent application of established methodologies and guidelines.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience within digital public services or a similar regulated, multi-stakeholder environment.

• Experience turning fragmented institutional and legal source material into clear, sequenced user journeys.

• Knowledge of Russian or another UN official language.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on both hard skills (service design, content management) and soft skills (diplomacy, facilitation, gender lens application) is crucial for success in this role. The "asset" qualifications point towards areas where candidates can differentiate themselves significantly.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• User-Centric Design Case Studies: Showcase projects where you designed or improved digital services/content based on user research and testing, demonstrating a clear understanding of user needs and journey mapping.

• Content Optimization Examples: Provide examples of content you've developed or managed, highlighting improvements in clarity, accessibility, and user engagement, particularly for complex or regulated information.

• Gender Lens Application: Include case studies or project descriptions that explicitly detail how a gender lens or equity-focused analysis was integrated into the design or content strategy, and the resulting impact.

• Process Improvement Documentation: Present instances where you documented, standardized, or improved content creation or service design processes, demonstrating your ability to create repeatable and scalable methods.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Demonstrate experience in mapping existing service workflows, identifying bottlenecks, and designing optimized user journeys and content structures.

• Implementation & Automation: Showcase understanding of how content is implemented within digital platforms (e.g., CMS, APIs) and how processes can be streamlined through clear guidelines and repeatable methods.

• Measurement & Performance Analysis: Provide examples of how you have defined metrics for content effectiveness or service usability and how you have used data to inform revisions and improvements.

📝 Enhancement Note: For this role, a portfolio is essential to demonstrate practical application of service design and content management principles, with a specific emphasis on user-centricity and the integration of a gender lens. Candidates should be prepared to walk through their process and highlight the impact of their work.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Given this is a part-time consultancy with UN Women, and based on the location (Chisinau, Republic of Moldova) and the required experience level (mid-level, 2-5 years with Master's), a competitive daily rate is expected. Based on industry benchmarks for international consultants in similar roles in Eastern Europe, the estimated daily rate could range from $200 - $350 USD. This rate accounts for the specialized skills in service design, content management, gender analysis, and public sector experience.

Benefits:

• Flexible Work Arrangement: Hybrid work model allowing for a balance between on-site collaboration and remote work.

• Professional Development: Opportunity to work with a leading international organization (UN Women) and contribute to significant digital transformation initiatives with a focus on gender equality.

• Impactful Work: Direct contribution to improving public services for citizens, with a specific focus on empowering women and ensuring gender responsiveness.

• Networking Opportunities: Collaboration with e-Governance Agency (AGE), development vendors, and other stakeholders within the Moldovan digital governance landscape.

• Travel Reimbursement: Potential reimbursement for agreed-upon field travel for usability testing with participants outside Chisinau.

Working Hours:

This is a part-time consultancy. The exact number of hours per week will be determined based on project needs, but it is expected to be a significant portion of a full-time role, potentially averaging around 20-30 hours per week, depending on the phase of the project and deliverable timelines. The consultant is expected to be available for regular on-site presence at eGov in Chisinau.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on typical consultancy rates for international organizations in the region for specialized roles. Actual compensation will depend on the candidate's qualifications, experience, and UN Women's internal grading and budget. The "part-time" nature should be clarified regarding expected weekly hours and overall project duration.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: International Non-Profit / United Nations Entity

Company Size: UN Women is a global organization with thousands of employees worldwide, though the specific project team in Moldova may be smaller and more focused.

Founded: UN Women was established in July 2010, merging the efforts of four previously distinct UN entities focused on gender equality.

Team Structure:

• Project-Specific Team: The consultant will work closely with the Women’s Economic Empowerment Specialist at UN Women Moldova (reporting line), the e-Governance Agency (AGE) Product Owner, and an external UX/UI designer.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Close interaction is required with AGE's content model team, the State Register of Public Services (SRPS), development vendors building the EVO portal, and competent institutions for inter-institutional validation.

• Reporting & Oversight: The consultant reports to the UN Women WEE Specialist for overall technical guidance and supervision, while AGE provides oversight of deliverable quality.

Methodology:

• User-Centered Design (UCD): A core methodology, emphasizing user research, iterative testing, and continuous improvement based on user feedback.

• Gender-Responsive Design: A critical methodological approach, ensuring that services and content address the specific needs and challenges faced by women.

• Agile Content Production: The iterative process of research, drafting, testing, and validation aligns with agile principles for content development.

• Data-Driven Prioritization: Utilizing analytics and research to inform decision-making regarding which life events to prioritize for content development.

Company Website: https://www.unwomen.org/

📝 Enhancement Note: UN Women fosters a culture of gender equality, empowerment, and human rights. The project operates within the context of a government digital transformation initiative (EVO portal), requiring a blend of public sector operational rigor and UN values.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role can be viewed as a specialized consultant position within the broader "operations" umbrella, focusing on the operational aspects of digital service delivery and content management. It sits at a mid-level, requiring independent work and subject matter expertise.

Reporting Structure: The consultant reports to a UN Women Specialist and receives oversight from the e-Governance Agency. This dual reporting structure requires strong communication and stakeholder management skills.

Operations Impact: The consultant's work directly impacts the user experience of Moldova's citizens interacting with public services via the EVO portal. By ensuring gender-responsive content and processes, the role contributes to greater gender equality and women's economic empowerment, a key UN Women objective. This role operationalizes policy into tangible digital user experiences.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization in Digital Public Services: Deepen expertise in designing and managing digital services for government entities, a growing field.

• Gender Equality in Digitalization: Become a leader in applying gender-sensitive approaches to technology and public service delivery.

• Cross-Cultural Project Management: Gain experience managing projects within an international organization and collaborating with diverse national stakeholders.

• Methodology Development: Contribute to establishing best practices in content production and service design for public sector digital platforms, potentially leading to future consulting or program management roles.

📝 Enhancement Note: While not a traditional corporate operations role, the principles of process optimization, user adoption, and stakeholder management are central. The growth potential lies in specializing in the intersection of digital transformation, public service, and gender equality.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid consultancy, requiring regular on-site presence at the e-Governance Agency (eGov) in Chisinau, combined with remote work flexibility.

Office Location(s): Chisinau, Republic of Moldova. The primary on-site location will be the e-Governance Agency.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The on-site component at eGov is crucial for close collaboration with the Product Owner, UX/UI designer, and development vendor, fostering real-time problem-solving and iteration.

• Digital Tools & Technology: Access to relevant digital platforms, content management systems (potentially APIs), and communication tools will be essential. The specific stack will be dictated by the EVO portal's infrastructure.

• Cross-Functional Interaction: Opportunities to engage with AGE staff, SRPS teams, and representatives from various public institutions, providing broad exposure to the Moldovan public sector.

Work Schedule:

The role is part-time, with an expected workload of 20-30 hours per week. The schedule will need to accommodate regular on-site meetings and collaborative sessions at eGov, alongside flexible remote work. The consultant must be able to manage their time effectively to meet deliverable deadlines within the part-time framework.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature requires strong self-management and communication skills to ensure effective collaboration despite not being fully on-site. Understanding the operational workflow within a government agency setting will be key.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of application, CV, and portfolio against the stated qualifications and experience.

• Technical Interview/Assessment: Likely to involve a discussion of the candidate's approach to service design, content strategy, user research, and gender analysis. This may include a case study or problem-solving exercise related to public services.

• Portfolio Presentation: Candidates will likely be asked to present selected work from their portfolio, explaining their process, impact, and how they integrated user feedback and gender considerations.

• Final Interview: May involve discussion with UN Women and AGE representatives to assess cultural fit, communication skills, and overall suitability for the role.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Process Over Product: Emphasize your methodology, decision-making process, and how you addressed challenges, especially those involving user research, iterative design, and stakeholder engagement.

• Showcase Gender Lens Application: Clearly articulate how you incorporated gender equality principles and a feminist lens into your projects. Provide specific examples of how this influenced your design choices or content.

• Quantify Impact Where Possible: If you have metrics related to user engagement, satisfaction, or efficiency gains from your work, present them. For this role, qualitative impact on inclusivity and accessibility is also crucial.

• Tailor to Public Services & Content: Focus on examples relevant to digital public services, content management, and user journeys. Demonstrate your ability to translate complex information into accessible formats.

• Demonstrate User Research Rigor: Detail your approach to user recruitment, moderation, and how you translated research findings into actionable design or content recommendations, particularly with diverse or less digitally-savvy user groups.

Challenge Preparation:

• Service Design Challenge: Be prepared to analyze a hypothetical public service scenario, identify user needs, propose design solutions, and outline a content strategy, including how to incorporate a gender perspective.

• Content Strategy Challenge: You might be asked to review existing content and suggest improvements based on plain language principles, user-centricity, and gender inclusivity.

• Stakeholder Management Scenario: Prepare to discuss how you would navigate complex stakeholder environments, manage conflicting priorities, and gain buy-in for your design recommendations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will heavily scrutinize the candidate's ability to apply theoretical knowledge to practical scenarios, particularly concerning user-centricity, gender analysis, and the operationalization of content within a government digital platform.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Service Design Tools: Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, Miro, Mural (for wireframing, prototyping, journey mapping, collaboration).

• Content Management Systems (CMS): Familiarity with CMS platforms and content APIs is beneficial, understanding how content is structured and published. Experience with government-specific platforms or content management frameworks would be an asset.

• User Research Platforms: Tools for surveys (e.g., SurveyMonkey, Typeform), usability testing platforms (e.g., UserTesting.com), and collaboration tools for remote sessions.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics: Google Analytics or similar tools to understand user behavior on digital platforms, identifying areas for improvement.

• Data Analysis Tools: Proficiency in Excel or Google Sheets for data organization and basic analysis of research findings.

CRM & Automation:

• While not a direct CRM role, understanding how user data informs service design and content strategy is important. Familiarity with systems that manage user interactions or public service requests would be helpful.

📝 Enhancement Note: While specific tool requirements are not detailed, proficiency in core design and content management tools is expected. The ability to adapt to the specific technology stack of the EVO portal and AGE's infrastructure will be crucial.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Gender Equality & Empowerment: A fundamental value driving UN Women's work, requiring a commitment to advancing women's rights and opportunities in all project aspects.

• User-Centricity: A core operational principle for the EVO project, ensuring that citizen needs and experiences are at the forefront of design and content decisions.

• Inclusivity & Accessibility: A commitment to designing services and content that are accessible and usable by all citizens, regardless of gender, age, disability, or digital literacy.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Utilizing research, analytics, and testing results to inform and validate design and content strategies.

• Collaboration & Diplomacy: Fostering a positive and productive working environment through open communication, mutual respect, and skillful navigation of inter-institutional dynamics.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: The role demands seamless collaboration with technical teams (developers), design teams (UX/UI), policy/programmatic teams (UN Women WEE Specialist), and government institutions (AGE, SRPS).

• Process Improvement Culture: An environment that encourages continuous feedback, iterative refinement of processes, and a willingness to adapt based on user testing and stakeholder input.

• Knowledge Sharing: A commitment to documenting methods and sharing learnings to build capacity within AGE and ensure the sustainability of the project's impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: The successful candidate will need to align with UN Women's core values and demonstrate a collaborative approach that bridges the gap between international development principles and public sector operational realities.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Public Sector Bureaucracy: Working with multiple public institutions can involve complex validation processes, differing priorities, and potential delays.

• Integrating Gender Lens Systematically: Ensuring a consistent and impactful application of the gender lens across all life events and throughout the content production process requires ongoing vigilance and advocacy.

• Bridging Digital Literacy Gaps: Designing content and services that are accessible and usable by citizens with varying levels of digital confidence and literacy.

• Balancing User Needs with Institutional Requirements: Reconciling user-centric design principles with the mandates, regulations, and technical constraints of public institutions.

• Managing Hybrid Work & Remote Collaboration: Ensuring effective communication and project momentum across a hybrid work environment and with geographically dispersed team members (if applicable).

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into Public Service Design: Gain hands-on experience in the operational aspects of digital government transformation.

• Expertise in Gender Mainstreaming: Develop advanced skills in applying gender analysis and feminist principles to technology and service design.

• Cross-Cultural Project Management: Enhance capabilities in managing international projects with diverse stakeholder groups.

• Capacity Building & Training: Develop skills in coaching and transferring knowledge to government agency staff, contributing to institutional strengthening.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers significant opportunities to tackle complex challenges at the intersection of technology, public service, and social impact, fostering professional growth in a unique and rewarding context.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your process for identifying and prioritizing user needs, particularly when designing for underserved populations or specific demographic groups like women."

• "How would you apply a gender lens to the design of a public service like [example life event]? What specific considerations would you make?"

• "Imagine you're designing content for a complex public service. How would you ensure it's understood by citizens with varying levels of digital literacy and in different languages (Romanian, Russian, English)?"

• "How would you approach gathering information and navigating validation processes with multiple government institutions that may have conflicting requirements or timelines?" Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you most about UN Women's mission and this specific project focused on women's economic empowerment?"

• "How do you approach collaboration with technical teams, designers, and government stakeholders to achieve a common goal?"

• "Describe a time you had to advocate for user needs or a specific design approach when faced with institutional resistance. How did you handle it?"

• "How do you ensure your work aligns with organizational values such as integrity, professionalism, and respect for diversity?" Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each portfolio piece, clearly articulate the problem, your role, your process (research, design, testing), the solution, and the impact.

• Highlight the Gender Lens: Explicitly point out where and how you integrated gender considerations. Explain the rationale and the outcome.

• Showcase Process Documentation: Be ready to discuss how you documented workflows, created user journeys, or developed content guidelines.

• Demonstrate User Research Insights: Share specific findings from user tests and explain how they directly informed your design or content decisions.

• Be Prepared for "What If" Scenarios: Anticipate questions about how you would handle specific challenges related to this project, such as institutional pushback or unexpected user feedback.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interviewers will be looking for a blend of technical expertise, strategic thinking, a strong commitment to gender equality, and the ability to operate effectively within a public sector and international organizational context.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this consultancy position:

• Submit Your Application: Complete and submit your application through the UN Women recruitment portal, ensuring all sections of the application form are fully completed.

• Tailor Your CV: Highlight experience in service design, content management, UX writing, user research, and crucially, any experience applying a gender lens or working on public services. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 key projects that best demonstrate your skills in service design, content strategy, user research, and your ability to integrate a gender lens. Be prepared to explain your process and impact for each.

• Prepare for a Case Study/Presentation: Anticipate being asked to discuss your approach to a specific challenge or present a portfolio piece during the interview process. Practice articulating your methodology and outcomes clearly.

• Research UN Women & EVO: Understand UN Women's mission, particularly regarding women's economic empowerment, and familiarize yourself with the goals of the EVO portal and Moldova's digital transformation efforts.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.